Harris County deputy suspended after accused of passing out drunk in car with child

By Brian Rogers

Published 12:11 pm, Monday, May 7, 2012

A deputy constable accused of passing out drunk while stopped in his idling pickup with his 4-year-old son has been suspended indefinitely without pay, his attorney said Monday.

Harris County Precinct 3 Deputy Constable Henry Ervin Williams was charged with driving while intoxicated with a child after he was found asleep behind the wheel about 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the 12400 block of Stonefield Manor, said Assistant District Attorney Tameka Badger.

"EMS workers were unable to wake him up, they were banging on the window," Badger told state District Judge Belinda Hill during Williams' arraignment Monday morning. "He eventually woke up, and deputies saw that he was stumbling. And he was stumbling over his words."

She said the deputy was taken to a hospital where his blood was taken. The results of those tests were not available Monday.

If convicted of the state jail felony, the 34-year-old faces a maximum of two years behind bars.

Williams who is free on $10,000 bail declined to comment. His attorney said his client pleaded "not guilty" to the allegations.

"He's devastated by all of this," said Richard Cobb. "He's a peace officer, and he's been accused of a crime - the fact that all this happened is embarrassing to him. It's psychologically devastating to any person who's been accused of a crime."

Williams was off-duty when he was found in the truck in northwest Harris County. Although he was not in traffic, he was charged with DWI because the truck's engine was running.

Williams, who has been with the Harris County Precinct 3 Constable's Office for about four years, will remain off-duty pending the outcome of the investigation, said Precinct 3 Constable Ken Jones.